It’s February! Which means it’s almost March. Which means it’s almost the official end of winter. Which means it’s almost the official start of Spring. Which means SXSW is really soon. Which means I get to hang out with all of my internet friends really soon at SXSW. Which means I will actually be warm for the first time since October in 2 weeks in Austin. Which means I’ll probably be sick in 3 weeks. But by then it will almost be April, and life will not be so gray and cold pretty soon. In the meantime, here are some noteworthy things related to music that I happened to catch this month and that I would like you to catch.

I’m going to start by talking about Lusine’s new album The Waiting Room and I can’t stop gushing about it. I think it’s the Ghostly album I’ve been waiting for without even knowing it (though I typically love most Ghostly albums). The standout track for me is definitely “Stratus” which sounds like a revelation and/or a really hard math test, in a good way, though. It just grows and morphs and makes me ears rejoice. This rest of the album is also pretty stellar, and if you’re into that Ghostly sound, it is a necessity.

Next up is a totally effing beautiful video from Florida’s Hundred Waters who I was first exposed to at last fall’s CMJ, where I was surprisingly good at staying up late and came out of those 5 nights with only one brutal hangover. Anyway, “Boreal” might be one of my favorite Hundred Waters tracks, and I now like it even more that I get to think about this whenever I listen to it. It starts out quite strangely, but boy does it finish up with an unexpected bang. The video takes a quite unexpected turn somewhere in the middle and it’s really pretty visually stunning when it happens.

It’s somewhat impossible to reflect upon music in the month of February without mentioning James Blake. Mostly because I kinda <3 most of his works, and he is coming to Detroit in May. He was one of those UK lads who I for some reason never thought would stop in our ever so humble town. He's also putting out a new album this Spring-ish and has released the first track in video form. When that chorus kicks in, I can't help but think, "That's rich." Can't wait to hear the rest of this album if it's all as good as this.

I should probably just start a monthly column called “MØ of the month” or something since I’ve posted one of her tracks nearly every month since first seeing her last fall. This one is a remix of “Pilgrim” by MS MR and it’s sort of an 90s R&B take on the normally extremely upbeat track, with vocals front and center. But it totally works and is a strong indicator that MØ is kinda awesome.

While we’re on the topic of understated excellence in remix form, let’s take a listen to this Ryan Hemsworth remix of Rhye’s “Open”. I just got to see Mr. Hemsworth perform last Saturday here in town and he can really throw down a set that can get all the kids going. This remix really shows his versatility and the fact that he can go hard or soft with the same impact. Hoping to catch that bro again in Austin for some happy dance times.

Now time for some VERY exciting news. Namely that dailybeatz up and coming favorites Keep Shelly in Athens have recently signed with Cascine, one of our favoritest labels in all of the land. It’s really a perfect and natural fit for both artist and label, but it’s still pretty exciting. They’ll be releasing their debut full length album this fall and have given us a sneak peak at a new track in “Madmen Love”. It’s got a bit of a different feel at first, almost as if something is off, but then it comes together quite nicely in the end, in a pretty big way.

Let’s close things out on an abnormally energetic note with this Hudson Mohawke remix of Disclosure’s “White Noise” featuring AlunaGeorge. After thinking I would never see Disclosure ever, I will get to see them at least twice in the next month and a half, and that rules. This remix is kind of fantastic. Like when that 1:30 mark hits, just watch out. Enjoy, and seeya next month for more good music and horrible commentary like this.